New Champion
by Tsuki-of-the-Wolves
Summary: Kotone is an odd girl, and quite unlike the previous Champion he knew; yet Green begins to fear that the more things change, the more they stay the same.


**I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking while writing this, I just hope it doesn't sound like absolute crap. ._. All I know is that this couple is adorable. *w***

**I admit, I ship Kotone off with so many people but gosh darn it she's so cute!**

* * *

Green had never been the sentimental type, but he found himself visiting the remains of Cinnabar Island often; solely to reflect on his life thus far. And it surprised him one day when a young girl landed on shore atop a kind looking lapras- her clothes slightly damp from the seas mist and smelling of dirt and pine needles and far off destinations- asking who he was while looking around in a childlike, naïve way. He had scoffed and shot the question back to her. But the moment he began talking, Green found that he could not stop. In fact, he began telling her exactly who he was (and had been) along with some strange, nearly philosophical thoughts that must've been floating around in the back of his head after reminiscing for so long on the abandoned island. Even more surprising: she listened. The short brunette girl in a hat that was akin to a marshmallow with a red bow smiled at him softly while he spoke, even nodded once as if what he was telling her was something she fully understood. Something about her knowing eyes struck him, and something about her cheer (which was rather uncharacteristic for any serious trainers that he knew, or anyone who would understand what he was saying for that matter) resonated within him.

He tried to stop sounding like sappy idiot and changed the subject. "But anyway, I'm still a trainer. If I see a strong opponent, it still makes me want to battle."

The girl giggled and he could only watch her, his face looking very unamused per usual. "I'm Kotone, Green." She said—as if she were reminding him of who she was, not telling him. "I know I may not look it, but I'm really strong! And if what you said is true, about you once being the champion, I say we should battle!" The lapras behind her called out eagerly. He laughed at her somewhat.

"If you want to battle me for real, show me how many gym badges you've got." Kotone felt suddenly nervous under his stare and pulled out her badges case. He inspected it: there were eight on one side, but they looked unfamiliar to him, and on the other side were seven. Green looked at them critically, trying to match the number of badges to the appearance of the girl in front of him, and decided that they could not have really been hers. He sighed and continued on anyway. "Come to Viridian Gym. I'll be waiting for you."

His pidgeot quickly scooped him up off the ground and towards his home.

* * *

He may have lost his crown years ago, with no memento of the short time spent having it aside from a crumpled up certificate he kept in the back of one of his drawers at home, but Green was certainly the king of _this _castle, and he acted as such. Smugly he would sit at his throne watching the gym trainers ward off those who were too weak to face the leader, and his face held the same look of confidence that it had always tended to, along with his ever present smirk.

It was nearly a week before the girl whom he'd met on Cinnabar finally stepped through the doors and into his castle. She looked as determined as ever, smiling as bright as the sun. Green realized that she had every reason to look that happy as she crushed every foe in her way of getting to him, the leader. He found slight amusement in watching her spin on his tricky flooring and giggle and nearly fall over when she would stop.

"I'm here, and I'm ready to show you how strong of an opponent I really am!" The girl (_Kotone_, as he recalled) cheered along with her typhlosion. When he talked to her this time, he felt much more like himself.

"Yo!" He nodded his head and stood up from his seat. "Finally got here, huh? I wasn't in the mood at Cinnabar, but now I'm ready to battle you." She matched his smile.

"Are you ready to see just how fearsome the Johto Champion is!?" Kotone laughed, knowing that she didn't look very fearsome at all, but her wide grin held eagerness and drive and enthusiasm.

Taken aback upon hearing that she was the champion of the neighboring region, he momentarily felt a familiar sick, warm feeling in the pit of his stomach, but it was gone before it started and his smirk reappeared. "You're telling me you conquered all the gyms in Johto? Hahaha! Heh! Johto's gyms are that pathetic?" Her smile faltered and her brown irises smoldered. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll know if you are good or not by battling you right now."

* * *

The proud leader was defeated in hardly any time at all, although she did suffer the loss of three of her Pokémon; _so at least I shouldn't be too ashamed,_ he thought, watching the girl jump up and down in victory with her newly acquired Earth Badge in hand.

"All right," He began, smiling, and Kotone's attention was once more diverted to the leader. "I was wrong. You're the real deal. You _are_ a good trainer. But!" Smile fading to cocky smirk, Green eyed her. "I'm going to beat you someday. Don't you forget it-"

He was cut off as she leaped on him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as he tried to regain footing.

"I won't!" The young female champion's voice was light and happy. "Thank you!" When she ran off and out of the gym, he noticed that her words sounded reassuring, and he found that he was not upset about the loss. Because her words made him feel like he had been a great help to her in some way, and that she was grateful for him. The girl seemed to have an odd way of communicating to him.

Green made a 'tch' noise watching her leave, his smile not disappearing but feeling a little odd about how dark the room got after she was gone.

* * *

When he got a call from an unknown number, the ex-champion was more than a little astonished; after all, he rarely gave it out to anyone. And to call this late in the evening!

"Hello?" Green's voice sounded unsure and a little irked.

"Green? Hi! It's me, Kotone! Y'know, we battled a few months ago-" He cut her off. _Of course_ he remembered her.

"Hey." Significantly less annoyed sounding.

"Sorry to call out of the blue. Your sister gave me your number, and I just called to see how you were doing…" Was that embarrassment he detected? Without really knowing why, it made him grin.

"Whatever. Don't worry about me. I'm doing just peachy over here!" Kotone could hear the smile in his words, and she relaxed a bit. "I was just looking for something to do! Wanna battle me again?"

"Sure! I can't wait!" She sounded excited and he felt his already large ego boost.

"Whatever. I won't lose to you again, got that? I'll be waiting at the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City!"

"Wait, you mean tonig-" He hung up, and then wondered why exactly he'd chosen to meet all the way in Saffron City.

* * *

He had gotten there just in time. Leaning against the wall of the dojo coolly, he saw Kotone suddenly burst in looking absolutely thrilled with herself.

"Green!" She called out, waving her hand in the air despite there being very few people there.

"Good! Thanks for coming to lose to me!" He smirked and she snorted. The match began.

He lost. Again.

"Just as I expected." He was still smiling this time around, but the warm, ailing feeling returned to his stomach. "No wonder you've become the champion…" She was shouting again: happy "yays" and overly excited "we did its" as she hugged her remaining team. Kotone looked up to him, smiling, and he knew what was coming next. She flung herself at him with excitement and this time he let one hand fall on her back.

"What do you think you'll do now?" He asked when she let go, leaning against the wall once more and feigning disinterest. The realization that he probably wouldn't see her again set in. Sure, they had each other's numbers, but what was the point in that? She had her rematch and she really wouldn't need him for much else anymore. _Besides, she'll probably disappear off to some other region or Arceus knows where._ The green-eyed man wasn't really sure what upset him so much about that. But her answer didn't help.

"While I was in Pallet Town, Professor Oak told me about a former champion, a guy who had defeated Team Rocket a few years prior who is now residing on top of Mt. Silver—all by himself, on a mountain! Can you believe that? Y'know, I once defeated Team Rocket too, which is sort of interesting. But anyway, that's when I got your number from your sister, Nanami, she had—"

"So, what? You're going to climb a mountain to find some guy who used to be a champion and challenge him?" Kotone was a little startled at how gruff his voice sounded. Green was displeased.

"Well… Yeah, I suppose."

"Do you know how long that guy—that _kid _has been up there? Four years. Hell, he's probably dead! Serves him right for abandoning us all, but now you want to go up there too?" Green's words held a considerable amount of malice. The girl felt accused.

"Do you know him?"

"Hah! 'Do I know him', _of course_ I know him! He was my rival, and at one time my friend. Before he fled off with the champion title under his belt to the top of a damn mountain without so much as a final goodbye to even his mother. Why would you want to visit someone like that, Kotone?" He snorted, but she ignored it.

"Well he's got to have a good reason for staying up there! What's his name?"

He sighed, knowing that his words weren't changing her mind. "Red."

"Red…" She repeated, looking like a woman on a mission. Like a firecracker ready to burst. The brunette girl smiled at him. "I'll see you around, okay? Thanks for the rematch!" Her voice wasn't nearly as reassuring as it once had been. The man scowled.

"Whatever. Just make sure you actually come down _off_ of the mountain, Kotone. That's all I've got to say about it." His arms were folded and his eyes narrowed with frustration. She only smiled at him as she closed the exit door behind her.

* * *

That was not all he had to say about it.

In fact he had many, many things to say about it, but none of them would be said any time soon. Still, he called her the following week from his Pokegear.

"Green?"

"Kotone, where are you? Tell me you aren't still planning on climbing that stupid mountain." He sounded no less vexed than before. Although in his own mind, a tiny part of him was embarrassed at being so concerned about it in the first place.

"Oh hi! I didn't expect you to call, how are you?" Her voice was merry.

"Don't give me that!"

"I'm actually on my way to the top as we speak! I should be there in about three days, but I'll give you a call when I make it! So try not to worry about me too much!" It was her attempt at teasing, although Green was not entertained. Because he _was_ worried—more so than he was willing to admit (which he supposed wasn't saying a lot since he never normally admitted that kind of thing anyway). He was worried that she would end up just like _him _and decide that she liked it there for some utterly idiotic reason—worried that she would begin to confine herself now that she was champion because apparently that's what they did after defeating every opponent they had. They left. He hung up on her without saying anything to reply, and Kotone looked in confusion at her gear.

"Must've disconnected." The girl shrugged and continued up.

* * *

When she didn't call and six days had passed, Green was feeling rather frustrated. He had no doubt that she made it up, because she was too much of a go-getter to let anything stop her. _Even if she fell off the side of that fucking thing she'd just get up smiling and start over. _He glowered at nothing in particular. What he was royally ticked off about was that she was not true to her word, and that she was probably having a grand old time fighting the opponent of her life. It upset him greatly to know that his once best friend was still looked up to, despite having made an incredibly selfish decision. If Green had done something like that, his grandfather would've never mentioned him to anyone. He'd be too ashamed.

"Whatever! It doesn't matter." He tossed his Pokegear behind him, as he had been pacing in his living room, and went to go cool off at the dojo.

An entire month had gone by. He'd given her plenty of time to come down but now he was furious, and stomped wherever he went. A day came when he recalled her telling him about a commonality that Red and her shared: they had both dealt with a criminal organization. This only made matters worse for the Viridian Leader. Green was no fool and had known all along that part of Red's reason to leave also had to do with Team Rocket; the champion was tired of the fighting most likely. Being thirteen and taking out an entire group of evil-doers like that was bound to have some adverse effects. Green growled, wondering if the two would confide in eachother about it and Kotone would break down and decide she too should stay in seclusion.

He knew he was being somewhat dramatic, but the worry didn't fade. He didn't want to see another public hero and someone's daughter and friend—_his_ friend—go down the same stupid, shallow path and abandon the life she used to love. She was much too soft and kind to spend her days on a freezing mountain.

Green had no other choice, and he slipped on a winter hat.

* * *

When Red first disappeared, Green had gone up the mountain in search of him. He had been standing at the summit and overlooking the blurry gray horizon with an unreadable expression. They'd argued for a short time before Green had given up and come back down the mountain alone. The rival decided he couldn't care less whether or not that selfish bastard spent the rest of his life up there.

Although he did care if that's what Kotone was going to choose, and he found her right where'd he'd left Red; same thoughtful gaze into the distance and everything. Green shook his hair free of falling snow and his teeth chattered. He glared daggers at her from a few yards behind, but she took no notice.

"Are you stupid, or are you just stupid?" She turned around looking rather surprised and then smiling brightly. Green noticed that Red was nowhere to be seen.

"Green! What are you doing up here?"

"I decided that I really love the refreshing feeling of frostbite in the morning… I'm here to get you, you dumbass!" He grit his teeth in the cold but she seemed relatively unaffected, despite being in her regular outfit plus a single scarf.

"Get me? But Green, you don't need to get me. I was going to come down soon. I would've called…but I don't have any reception. But I really was going to come back! It's just sort of…nice up here." Her smile was hopeful, as if she expected him to understand. He did not.

"Yeah, right." He scoffed loudly. "If you're into dying from hypothermia. Where is he, anyway?" She tilted her naïve little head as if she wasn't sure who he was talking about, but soon realized.

"Oh. Red left a few weeks ago. I beat him, Green! Can you believe that? I beat the champion!"

"Kotone… you already were the champion." He glared at her but it did nothing to stop her joy. "You beat some self-centered kid who had strong Pokémon. That's what you did. And I came here to get you because, like him, just because you've run out of challenging foes or you've been through some rough shit in your life does _not_ give you the right to go hermit-it-up on a freaking mountain top." The girl looked back out into the distance for a moment, looking as if she was in deep thought, and he'd had enough. "Come on. I'm leaving and I'm taking you with me. I don't pay to heat my home just so I can stand up here all day and freeze." He grabbed her hand and started walking, but she stopped him.

"I wasn't going to stay up here, silly." There she was with her typical sunshine and rainbows voice with both arms wrapped tightly around him. For the first time, he turned the tiniest bit red, although it could have just been from the cold.

"Yeah, well… Someone's gotta keep an eye on you." He trailed off, his voice a little softer than he would've liked. "And don't you dare come up here again, because you'd better believe that I'll come drag you back down again!"

She smiled into his chest. "I won't." Her face lifted up towards the young man and her eyes burned into his. "Thank you." Kotone's voice sounded just as it did the first time she thanked him, and with an angry, inward groan, Green knew that he couldn't be mad at her for long. Although he looked peeved, she kept smiling up at him until he could no longer take it. He closed the gap between their lips.

.

.

.

"Come on. Let's get you home."

"Green, my home is all the way in New Bark."

"No. My home. Like hell I'm letting you out of my sight now."

* * *

**I like this story! It is comfy and easy to wear! =D**

…**I hope I didn't make them too out of character, but I'm happy to have completed it! =3**

**Thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated. It really does make my day, especially now when I'm trying to keep my mind off of last minute summer homework! xD Thank you for reading!**


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